Device for operating a set of levers



(No Model.) H D GANSE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

DBVIGE FOR OPERATING A SET OF LEVERS.

Patented Dec. 1, 1885 Maw i 7 mawa 7 jkvejzwz',"

Kam & 9 f E N PETERS. Phal Lllhographun Wishillgmn. 0.0-

(No Model.) H D 3 SheqtsS11eet 2.

DEVICE FOR OPERATING A SET OF LEVERS.

No. 331,629. Patented Dec. 1, 1885.

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(N0 ModeL) H, D. 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

DEVICE FOR OPERATING A SET OF LEVERS.

No. 331,629. Patented Dec. 1, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT rricn.

HERVEY D. GANSE, OF LAKE VIEW, ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR OPERATING A SET OF LEVERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 331,629, dated December 1, 1885.

Application filed December 10, 1883. Serial No. 114,020. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Hnnvnv D. Gauss, formerly of St. Louis, and now of Lake View, Cook county, Illinois, have made a new and useful Improvement in Devices for Operating a Set of Levers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the device, the parts being as when the keys are not depressed; Fig. 2, a similar section, the keys being depressed slightly, and so as to bring the blocks into line; Fig. 3, a similar section, the keys being depressed still farther, and so as to cause the line of blocks to be moved; Fig. 4, a top view showing a portion of one side of the device; Fig. 5, a vertical transverse section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3, the uprights of the keys not being shown; and Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, details, being views of files of blocks, the blocks in the various figures being variously arranged, and in Figs. 9, being differently shaped. Fig. 11 is a plan of the device. Fig. 12 is a side elevation, and

' Fig. 13 is a front elevation.

The same letters of reference denote the same parts.

The present invention relates to a mode of moving any one, as desired, of a set of lovers by means of one or more of another set of levers, the levers of the operating set being less in number than those of the set operated upon.

A A &c., represent the set of operating levers. Saving that these levers are-less in number than the levers operated upon, I do not wish to be confined to any particular number thereof. Each of the levers A, &c., can be similarly and independently vibrated, as indicated by the broken lines a, Fig. 1, the pressure of the operators hand causing the lever to be depressed,and any suitable meanssuch as a spring, (not shown)operating to restore the lever to its original position when the operators hand is removed.

The levers A, 820., may be considered, and hereinafter will be styled, keys, as the operatorshand is applied to them as to the keyboard of a piano. Eachkeyhas a corresponding frame, B B", 850., whose movement is responsive to that of the key-tha-t is, each frame, at its forward ends, I), is pivoted at b to the side 0 of the frame'O of the device, so

that the rear end, 12 of theframe can be lowered and elevated, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 1, respectively. The shape of these framesis shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, at, 5that is, at each side of the key-board from the pivots b b the frameextends rearwardly, and then,at b,aoross and above the keys. Each key A, 850., is provided with an upright, a, and each frame B, 82c, witha corresponding arm, b so that when the keys A, &c., are not depressed their respective uprights 0., &c., come he neath the corresponding arms, b &c., and thereby uphold the frames B, 8:0. On depressing any key its corresponding frame drops, and when two or more of the keys are depressed two or more of the frames drop. In Fig. 1, as stated, all of the frames B B &c., are upheld. In Fig. 2, five, B B B B, of the frames are shown down.

D D D D D D represent what may be styled a set or file of blocks. But one file of these blocks is shown in the drawings; but there are as many files as there are levers to be moved. The files are arranged parallel with each other, and they extend longitudinally in the device. The several blocks in each file are connected, respectively, with the frames B B B B B 13. Therefore, when any one of the frames is dropped, all the blocks connected with that frame drop with the frame, and if two frames are dropped all the blocks connected with those two frames throughout the entire series of files drop with those two frames, and so on. The preferable mode of connecting the blocks is to extend the block in the form of or provide it with an arm,d,which, at d, is jointed to the frame. This enables the blocks, after being lowered, to be movedias indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively.

In order to move any particular lever of the set of levers operated upon,the particular file of blocks belonging to that lever must be brought into line, as shown in Fig. 2. The keys A, &c., are then depressed farther, and the entire file of blocks thereby moved endwise in a rearward direction, as shown in Fig. 3. The file in its movement encounters ailever, E, which is pivoted at e to across-bar, 0, and extended upward at 6. Each of theglevers F (but one shown in drawings) to be operated upon has a corresponding lever, E, the free end f of the lever F coming in front of the extension 6, as shown in Fig. 1. The movement of the file, therefore, causes the lever E to tilt on its pivot e, and to throw the end f of the lever F forward. The end f is provided with a projection, f, which in the movement of the lever F comes beneath the rear end or cross-bar g of an oscillating frame, G, and by continuing to depress the keys A, 850., the bar 9 is caused to descend and draw down [with it the lever F, as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 1. The frame G is pivoted at g to the sides 0 c of the frame 0, and is provided with astirrup, gfiwhose crossbar {1 passes beneath the key-board A, 85.0., and so that when one or more of the keys are depressed they shall encounter and bear down with them the cross-bar 9 This causes the rearward end of the frame G to move downward and effect the movement of the lever F, as described. A spring, acts to restore the frame G when the keys A, 850., are released.

The preferable mode of communicating the motion of the keys to the files of blocks is. as follows: H represents a bar extending across the device in front of the forward ends of the files and adapted to be moved against the files, and thereby to move them endwise. To this end the bar H is supported in the position described by means of the arms h, which in turn are pivoted at h to the base 0 of the device. Each key A, 850., is provided with an arm, a which extends upward in front of the bar H, and opposite the bar, having an incline, a. When a key is depressed, its incline a comes .against the bar H and presses it against the files. The bar H is preferably not allowed to come directly against the front blocks of the files; In front of each file isa movable block, D", which is pivoted by means of the arm d to the fixed bar D The bar H moves this glock D and the block D in turn moves the e. blocks of the file belonging to that lever must, as stated, be brought into line. Therefore as many keys A, 8tc., and frames B, 850., must be depressed as there are blocks in that file out of line in order to effect the movement of the lever; but the various blocks throughout all the file's must be connected with the frames, so that when any key or combination of keys is struck in order to bring the blocks in one file into line the blocks in all the other files respectively shall not be brought into line, and in consequence no other lever F shall be then moved. To this end the arms d, which connect the blocks with the frames, are of various lengths, and it may be stated, generally, the principle upon which the blocks D, -&c., in the present construction are combined with each other and with the other parts of the device and operated and upon which the keys are combined and operated To move any desired lever F, theis similar to that upon which the wedges and keys in a pending application of mine filed July 18, 1883, and numbered serially 101,233, (to which reference for convenience is hereby made,) for Letters Patent upon an analogous device are combined and operated, the chief difference being that in the construction referred to the wedgesas they are moved into line exert a wedging action, while in the present construction the blocks are first brought into line, and then, after the blocks in the file are in line, the file as one part is moved endwlse.

The blocks D, 850., may, as indicated in Figs. 1, 9, and 10, be variously shaped without departing from the principle of the improvement. Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 also illustrate how the blocks may in operating the device be variously relatively placed. The various files of blocks work in suitable guides, D".

I claim-- 1. The combination of the bar H, the blocks D D, 850., and the lever E, as described.

2. The combination .of the file of blocks D D 850., and the lever E, as described.

3. The combination of the file of blocks D D 860., the lever E, and the lever F, as .de-

scribed.

4. The combination of the lever E, the, lever F, and the frame G, as described.

5. The combination of the file of blocks D 7. The combination of the bat H, the block D, and the file of blocks D D, c., as described.

8. The combination of a file of blocks, D

D, 8tc., a movable part to press against, and

a movable part to be pressed by the file when the blocks are in line, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a file of blocks, D D, 800., a movable part to press against the file, a movable part, substantially as described,

to be pressed by the file when the blocks are in line, and means, substantially as described, for moving the blocks of the file into line.

10. The combination of a series of files of blocks, D D 850., a bar, H, adapted to be moved against the files, and a series of mov able parts to be moved, respectively, by the files as the blocks of the files respectively come into line, substantially as described.

11. The combination of a file of blocks, D-

IIQ 

